Container holder

ABSTRACT

A wall-mounted holder for cylindrical cans including a base and a generally cylindrical body portion integrally formed with and extending forwardly of the base at an upward inclination. The base defines a wall mounting surface thereon. The body portion has an extended open upper end for the insertion and removal of the container and defines a minimum interior transverse dimension and an opening extending longitudinally along a side portion thereof. Portions of said body portion extending along the opposed sides of the opening define container abutment surfaces such that upon inserting a cylindrical object having a diameter greater than the aforesaid transverse dimension into said body portion through the open upper end thereof, the abutment surfaces on the body portion of the holder are caused to flex outwardly and bear against portions of the container, securing the container within the body portion.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a container holder that is adapted tobe mounted on a substantially vertical surface such as a wall or postand is particularly configured for releasably, but securely, holding anaerosol can. Aerosols are used for a wide variety of products includingpaints, deodorants, insect sprays, sun screens and oven cleaners amongothers. The aerosol container is cylindrical, formed of metal anddepending on the particular product, relatively standard in diameter.Aerosols are typically stored in cupboards where they are out of sightand not readily available. In many instances, both at home and on thejob, it would be advantageous to have a wall-mounted holder for theaerosol can so that the particular aerosol would be visible and readilyaccessible. Such a holder should be of simple construction andeconomical to manufacture, attractive and configured such that the canscan be readily inserted into the holder and readily pulled therefrom.The holder itself should be readily attachable to and removable from awall, post or other substantially vertical surface. It should beconstructed such that it does not have any flanges or other protrusionsthat could easily scratch an individual or snag one's clothing if he orshe were to inadvertently brush against the device. Such a holder alsoshould be capable of securely supporting the aerosol can therein and becapable of providing such a securement for cans varying somewhat intheir radial dimension and more so in length. Such a securement would beparticularly beneficial in applications in which one or more suchholders was employed in an RV or other moving vehicle. Such a holder isprovided by the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container holder of the presentinvention secured to a vertical wall surface and containing an aerosolcan therein.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2-2 in FIG. 1 with theaerosol can removed.

FIG. 3 is a frontal plan view of the container holder of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the container holder of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the container holder of the presentinvention taken along the center line thereof.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the container holder of the presentinvention taken along the center line of the body portion thereof withan aerosol can contained therein.

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of an alternate embodiment of the body portionof the container holder of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of another alternate embodiment of the bodyportion of the container holder of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a partial sectional view of the container holder of FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the container holder 10 of thepresent invention is preferably injection molded of a plastic materialsuch as polyethylene or ABS plastic so as to be of single-piececonstruction and defines a resilient body portion 12, a base 14 and abase support 16. The container body portion 12 is defined by anelongated curvilinear wall 17 that extends at an upward inclination frombase 14 in a generally cylindrical configuration. Wall 17 defines a pairof end portions 18 extending longitudinally along opposed sides of anopen area 20 in the upper side of body portion 12 as seen in FIG. 1. Thelaterally spaced end portions 18 of wall 17 are preferably rounded at 21and define a pair of container abutment surfaces 22 extending along theopposed sides of the elongated opening 20. The extended upper endportions 24 of wall 17 disposed adjacent to opening 20 and to open upperend 26 of the body portion of the holder 10 are preferably outwardlyflared, both to assist in the insertion of an aerosol can 100 into theholder through the extended open upper end 26 thereof and to cause thecontainer abutment surfaces 22 to flex outwardly as the can 100 isinserted into the holder through open end 26 and bear against the sideof the can as will be described. It is to be understood that while theholder 10 is particularly configured to hold and secure a cylindricalaerosol can therein, the present invention is well suited for holdingother cylindrical containers and indeed other objects, preferablycylindrical, therein as well.

The container base 14, which preferably is of a generally trapezoidalconfiguration (see FIG. 5) and integrally formed with the container body12 during the molding process, extends vertically upwardly from thelower forward end 17′ of wall portion 17, as seen in FIG. 2. Base 14preferably defines a pair of vertically aligned conventional slottedmounting apertures 26 a and 26 b therein for mounting the containerholder 10 to a wall 28, post or other substantially vertical surface bymeans of a pair of screws 30 a and 30 b or other suitable fasteners. Apair of axially aligned apertures 31 a and 31 b can be formed in theforward facing side of the body portion 12 of the holder 10 to provideaccess to the slotted apertures 26 a and 26 b and screws 30 a and 30 bwith an appropriate tool such as a screwdriver (not shown) to facilitatethe mounting of holder 10 on a wall or other surface. The term“wall-mounted” is used herein to refer to a container holder that can bemounted on a wall, post or any other surface that is at leastsubstantially vertical in its orientation. Alternative means forsecuring the base 14 to a wall or other surface could be employed. Forexample, in lieu of or in addition to mounting apertures or slots thatcooperate with separate fasteners, two-sided adhesive-backed tape couldbe utilized.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a central axis Aextending through the container body portion 12 defines an angle Ø ofabout 40° with respect to base 14. Thus, when the base is mounted on awall, post or other substantially vertical surface, the body portion 12of the container holder will project outwardly and upwardly from themounting surface at an angle of about 40°. While orienting the bodyportion 12 at an angle of about 40° with respect to vertical ispreferred to provide a very convenient orientation of the holder forinserting and removing an aerosol can or other container into and fromthe holder, it is understood that different angles could be employed.

To provide structural support for the holder 10 and a flooring for thecontainer to be held therein, a support 16 in the form of a pair ofsupport walls 32 extends from the interior lateral edges 14′ of base 14to the interior curvilinear surface of wall 17, as illustrated in FIGS.2 and 5. The upstanding edges 32′ of support walls 32 thus defineabutment surfaces or a flooring to be abutted by the base of the aerosolcan 100 or other container inserted into the holder 10 through theflared upper open end 26 thereof. It is to be understood that varyingangular orientations could be defined by the leading edges 32′ of thesupport walls 32 to define a variety of differently shaped abutmentsurfaces for the container. Also, alternative base supportconfigurations could be employed in lieu of support walls 32, includingthe use of the interior surface of the base itself, provided thestructural connection between the body portion 12 and base of the holderis adequate. The use of support walls 32 is preferred as they provide aneconomical means of supporting the base of the holder while providing aflooring for the container and allowing the holder to be molded ofsingle-piece construction.

The above described configuration of the wall-mounted container holder10 provides a convenient means of attaching the holder 10 to a wall 28or other substantially vertical surface and positions the body portion12 of the holder 10 at a convenient angle for the user so that the usercan easily slide can 100 or other container into the body portion 12 ofthe holder 10 through the open upper end 26 thereof. By outwardlytapering the upper end portions 24 of wall 17 adjacent to opening 20 aspreviously described, the container is effectively guided into theholder such that the longitudinally extending gripping surfaces 22 areflexed outwardly by the container. When the container is inserted intothe body portion 12 of the holder 10, the portions of the abutmentsurfaces disposed below the tapered upper end portions 24 will bearagainst the side of the container due to the resiliency of the flexedmaterial, securing the container within the holder. The holder 10 issized for a standard size aerosol can diameter so that when the can isinserted through the flared upper open end of the holder and pushed downinto the body portion 12 of the holder, the can 100 or other containeris secured as described. It should be noted that other wallconfigurations could be defined by the laterally spaced end portions ofwall 17 in lieu of the curvilinear end portions 18 illustrated in thedrawings, to abut and hold the can 100 or other container in placewithin the holder.

In holder 10, the resiliency of the material of which holder is formedcooperates with the configuration of the body portion 12 of the holderto cause the body portion to define and function like a resilientgenerally C-shaped clamp or spring and bear against and secure the can100 or other object therein while allowing for some variation in thediameter of the container or other object. The extent of the variationdepends on the resiliency of the body portion 12 of the holder which isa function of the material of which the holder is formed and theconfiguration and thickness of the body portion wall 17. For example, acontainer holder 10 formed of polyethylene and having a body portionwall thickness of about 0.070 inches designed for a conventionally-sizedaerosol paint can, which has a diameter of about 2.70 inches, can gripand hold cylindrical containers varying in diameter from about 2.56 to2.80 inches sufficiently firmly so as to prevent any rattling of the canwithin the holder when used in RV or other motor vehicle applicationswhile continuing to allow the can to be readily inserted and removedfrom the holder.

For significantly different sized containers, the size of the holderwould be adjusted accordingly. Specifically, the shortest or minimumtransverse dimension (X) across the interior of body portion 12 ofholder body 12 below the outwardly flared upper portions 24 in a relaxedstate (see FIG. 5) would need to be varied for particular applications.If the diameter of a container is less than the transverse dimension(X), the container would be supported within the body portion of theholder, but not secured therein as the container would be too small (indiameter) to flex the body portion wall during insertion and thus toosmall to be gripped by the clamping action of the container holder.Transverse dimension (X) of a holder 10 of the present inventiondesigned to carry a typical aerosol deodorant having a diameter of 2.7inches would be about 2.45-2.50 inches in a relaxed state. Othercontainer holders could be specifically sized for differently sizedgoods. Also, the holders of the present invention can be formed indifferent colors to identify different product applications according tosize requirements (e.g. paint, deodorant, etc.) or to identify the colorof the product (e.g., red paint).

Other cross-sectional configurations could be defined by the bodyportion of the holder and continue to utilize the clamp or spring likesecurement of the present invention described above. For example, FIGS.8 and 9 illustrate a body portion 12′ of a container holder 10′ in whichthe minimum transverse dimension (X′) of the body portion extendsthrough one of two inwardly projecting, opposed protuberances 200defined by the interior surface of the body portion wall 17″ andpreferably positioned on opposed sides of opening 20′ substantiallyadjacent to the end portions 18′ thereof. The upper surfaces 102 of theprotuberance are preferably tapered such that upon the insertion of acontainer through the open end of the holder 10″, the container bearsagainst the upper surfaces 102 of the protuberances and flexes the bodyportion wall outwardly as the container is urged into the holder,causing the inner surface 104 of the protuberances 200 to bear againstthe side of the container and firmly secure the container within theholder.

Because the body portion 12 of the container holder 10 is configured tofunction like a resilient clamp or spring and bear against the side wallof a cylindrical container, the positioning of the longitudinallyextending opening therein is not critical. By positioning open area 20such that it extends along the upper side of the body portion, as shownin the drawings, the holder 10 will hold a container within the bodyportion that is smaller in diameter than the transverse dimension acrossopening 20, albeit not securely. The container would simply rest againstthe lower interior surface of the body portion 12. If the body portion12 were essentially inverted such that it extended at an upwardinclination from base 14 with the open area 20 extending along theunderside thereof (as opposed to the underside of the body portion), theinverted body portion (not shown) would still be capable of functioninglike a resilient clamp or spring securing the container therein whileallowing for slight variations in container diameter. However, if thediameter of the container were less than the transverse dimension of theopen area extending along the underside of the body portion, thecontainer would simply fall therethrough. Thus, the positioning of theopen area 20 in the body portion 12 of the holders illustrated in thedrawings, while not necessary, is preferred.

Various other changes and modifications may be made in carrying out thepresent invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.Insofar as such changes and modifications are within the purview of theappended claims, they are to be considered as part of the presentinvention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A wall-mounted container holder comprising a baseand a generally cylindrical resilient body portion integrally formedwith and extending forwardly at an upward inclination from said base,said base defining a wall mounting surface thereon and said body portiondefining a minimum interior transverse dimension, an extended open upperend for the insertion and removal of a container therethrough, anopening extending longitudinally along a side portion thereof and a pairof laterally spaced end portions extending longitudinally along opposedsides of said opening, said end portions defining container abutmentsurfaces whereby said body portion defines a resilient clamp about theinterior thereof, such that upon inserting a container having a diametergreater than said minimum interior transverse dimension into said bodyportion through said extended open upper end thereof, said abutmentsurfaces on said body portion are caused to flex outwardly and bearagainst portions of said container, securing said container within saidbody portion.
 2. The container holder of claim 1 including a basesupport integrally formed with said base and said body portion andextending therebetween, said base support defining an abutment surfacefor a container upon a container being inserted into said body portionthrough said extended open upper end thereof.
 3. The container holder ofclaim 2 wherein said base support comprises a pair of spaced walls, saidwalls extending between portions of said base and said body portion, anddefining end surfaces projecting into said body portions, said endsurfaces collective comprising said abutment surface.
 4. The containerholder of claim 1 wherein said body portion flares outwardly on opposedsides of said opening adjacent to said extended upper open end thereofto facilitate the sliding insertion of a container into said holderthrough said open upper end and flex said abutment surfaces outwardlyduring the sliding insertion of the container.
 5. The container holderof claim 2 wherein said opposed laterally spaced end portions of saidbody portion define laterally spaced inwardly projecting fingers, saidfingers abutting and bearing against a container upon a container beinginserted through said extended open upper end of said body portion andsecuring the container within said body portion.
 6. The container holderof claim 1 including at least one mounting aperture in said base for usein securing said holder to a wall, post or other substantiallyvertically disposed surface and at least one opening in a side portionof said body portion for providing access to said at least one mountingaperture in said base to facilitate the securement of said base to saidsurface.
 7. The container holder of claim 6 including a base supportintegrally formed with said base and said body portion and extendingtherebetween, said base support defining an abutment surface for acontainer upon a container being inserted into said body portion throughsaid extended open upper end thereof.
 8. The container holder of claim 6wherein said body portion flares outwardly on opposed sides of saidopening adjacent to said extended upper open end thereof to facilitatethe sliding insertion of a container into said holder through said openupper end and flex said abutment surfaces outwardly during the slidinginsertion of the container.
 9. The container holder of claim 1 includinga pair of vertically aligned mounting apertures therein for use insecuring said holder to a wall, post or other substantially verticallydisposed surface and a pair of vertically aligned openings in a sideportion of said body portion for providing access to said mountingapertures in said base to facilitate securement of said base to saidsurface.
 10. The container holder of claim 9 wherein said body portionflares outwardly on opposed sides of said opening adjacent to saidextended upper open end thereof to facilitate the sliding insertion of acontainer into said holder through said open upper end and flex saidabutment surfaces outwardly during the sliding insertion of thecontainer.
 11. A wall-mounted holder of unitary construction for aerosolcans and other cylindrical objects, said holder comprising a base and agenerally cylindrical resilient body portion extending forwardly at anupward inclination from said base, said base defining a wall mountingsurface thereon and said body portion defining a minimum interiortransverse dimension, an extended open upper end for the insertion andremoval of a cylindrical object therethrough, an opening extendinglongitudinally along a side portion thereof and a pair of opposedlaterally spaced end portions extending longitudinally along opposedsides of said opening said end portions defining abutment surfaces, andwherein said body portion flares outwardly on opposed sides of saidopening adjacent to said extended upper open end thereof to facilitatethe sliding insertion of a container into said holder through said openupper end and flex said abutment surfaces outwardly during the slidinginsertion of the container whereby said body portion defines a resilientclamp about the interior thereof such that upon inserting a cylindricalobject having a diameter greater than said minimum internal transversedimension into said body portion through said extended open upper endthereof, said abutment surfaces bear against portions of the object,securing the object within said body portion.
 12. The holder of claim 11including a base support integrally formed with said base and said bodyportion and extending therebetween, said base support defining anabutment surface for the cylindrical object upon a cylindrical objectbeing inserted into said body portion through the outwardly flaredextended open upper end thereof.
 13. The holder of claim 12 wherein saidbase support comprises a pair of spaced walls, said walls extendingbetween portions of said base and said body portion, and defining endsurfaces projecting into said body portions, said end surfacescollective comprising said abutment surface.
 14. The holder of claim 11including a pair of vertically aligned mounting apertures therein foruse in securing said holder to a wall, post or other substantiallyvertically disposed surface and a pair of vertically aligned openings ina side portion of said body portion for providing access to saidmounting apertures in said base to facilitate securement of said base tosaid surface.
 15. The holder of claim 12 including a pair of verticallyaligned mounting apertures therein for use in securing said holder to awall, post or other substantially vertically disposed surface and a pairof vertically aligned openings in a side portion of said body portionfor providing access to said mounting apertures in said base tofacilitate securement of said base to said surface.
 16. The holder ofclaim 11 wherein said opening extends longitudinally along an upper sideportion of said body portion.